Odisha: MSP for 5 Crops Approved

New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) The government on Wednesday permitted the procurement of five crops -- moong, urad, groundnut, sunflower, and mustard seed -- at a minimum support price (MSP) in Odisha under a central scheme.

The Union Agriculture Minister Shivaj Singh Chouhan approved the Odisha government's proposal after a discussion with the state deputy chief minister cum agriculture minister Kanak Vardhan Singh in a virtual meeting.

The quantity of procurement approved includes: 34,492 tonnes of moong, 1,19,387 tonnes of urad, 20,219 tonnes of groundnut, 2,210 tonnes of sunflower and 4,964 tonnes of mustard seed, according to a ministry statement.

The total MSP value of these approved procurements will exceed Rs 1,428.31 crore, it added.


The entire procurement process is proposed for a duration of 90 days under the PM-AASHA scheme, and the state government is already working on establishing a PoS-based procurement mechanism.

Chauhan, in the meeting, expressed satisfaction over the cultivation of sunflower in the state, noting that this crop had been gradually disappearing from many regions; its continued presence and growth in Odisha are highly encouraging.

He assured support to the state government in enhancing both the acreage and production of sunflowers, along with scientific and technical assistance.

Chouhan emphasized the need for continuous monitoring of the procurement process to ensure that middlemen do not benefit and that only the produce of genuine farmers is procured at the support price.

He also urged the state government to ensure that procurement is conducted directly from farmers, remains fully transparent, and is structured in a manner that prevents traders from exploiting the system in the name of farmers.